'I truly believe she died alone': Families still wait for answers on covid-19 nursing home deaths

Kerry Mescall is among a number of people still waiting for answers as to why they were denied the chance to be with their loved ones as they died 

Ennis Road Care Facility owner Anne-Maria Moore said: As you can appreciate, the early stages of the covid-19 pandemic was an extremely difficult and indeed traumatic time for all of our beloved residents, their loved ones, as well as all staff. Picture: EnnisRoadCareFacility.ie 

Three years ago on April 30, 2020, Kerry Mescall stood outside the nursing home where her mother lay dying from covid-19, and begged to be allowed inside.

She offered to wear any PPE the Ennis Road Care Facility could provide. She asked if she could stand outside her mother’s window, so staff open it and she could shout in her goodbyes.

“I begged,” she said.

“I said I don’t care if I catch covid; she can’t go on her own. She didn’t know we were there for her. It was the end and she didn’t know we were there.

It’s every day guilt. I still can’t speak about my mother without crying, we’re three years down the road and it’s just guilt.

The family was in a state of panic, having only the previous day been told in one phone call her mother Oliveria Mescall had covid-19 and was dying.

“He said ‘Sorry now Kerry, but your mother only has hours to live’”, she said.

“I got the call very early on Wednesday morning... about 6 or 7 o’ clock... So we would have had all of Wednesday, all of Thursday, Thursday night, that we could have gotten in. There was plenty of time.”

Finishing the conversation in shock, she says she spent the day phoning, with no response until evening.

“(The manager) called me back to say she was on her way to the hospital, and I thought ‘ok at least she is being given some chance’”, she said.

However, it was later decided Oliveria was not being transferred.

The family continued phoning through Thursday. When they could not get answers, Kerry and her daughter, then 20, drove there in desperation.

I thought even at least if she could hear my voice she would know she was safe. So, I truly believe she died alone. She died alone.

Oliveria (79) died in the early hours of Friday, May 1, three years ago. At the time, Kerry claims that the nursing home disputed that she died alone.

“They then tried to tell us that she didn’t die alone, that a palliative nurse was with her,” said.

“The palliative nurse I’m sure was spread all over the place.” 

Ennis Road Care Facility owner Anne-Maria Moore told the Irish Examiner: “This matter is the subject of a High Court action and, in the circumstances, it is not appropriate for us to reply to each and every one of the queries raised while that case is ongoing.

“However, we would like to again express our sincere condolences to Ms Mescall and her family on the loss of Oliveria Mescall. Oliveria was a much-loved resident of our nursing home and it was our privilege to care for her during her time with us.

As you can appreciate, the early stages of the covid-19 pandemic was an extremely difficult and indeed traumatic time for all of our beloved residents, their loved ones, as well as all staff.

Almost 9,000 people have died with or from covid-19 in the last three years. Almost a third of those who died were in nursing homes.

The late Oliveria Mescall died aged 79, while a resident at the Ennis Road Care Facility in Co Clare. Picture: RIP.ie

Health Protection Surveillance Centre guidance in April 2020 around visiting during outbreaks said: “Family and friends should be advised that all but essential visiting (for example end of life) is suspended in the interest of protecting residents at this time.” 

The guidance also stated: “There may be emergency circumstances in which it may still be appropriate for family or other relevant persons who are able to do so to provide some support to the care of a resident in an RCF (for example end of life).” 

The Mescalls are just one of the families affected by the way this guidance seems to have been applied differently nationally.

The 'best interest of residents'

An inspection by health watchdog Hiqa in February 2020 found: “There was inadequate support for the person in charge, inadequate staffing levels, and inadequate systems of oversight to evaluate the service, which would improve and sustain a better service.” 

They returned on May 27, just over three weeks after Oliveria’s death.

“On this inspection, it was found that many of the issues found on the February 2020 inspection remained unaddressed,” inspectors said.

They issued an “urgent compliance plan”, noting the “person in charge” had resigned ten days earlier, and two clinical nurse managers also left.

They spoke to relatives who had end-of-life visits. They said staff and residents had been through a “challenging time” and staff had “the best interest of residents” to the forefront. Kerry said:

I should have demanded to get in there, I should have taken her out of there. It’s our family that is left with all the guilt.

HSE MidWest Community Healthcare said 56 of the 70 residents contracted covid-19 between April and July 2020, and 17 people died.

This document, released to People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy, shows the home was supported by a HSE covid response team from April 20.

Other data released to him shows Hiqa received 22 concerns about this home during 2020, six in 2021, seven last year, and five this year.

These touched on a number of themes, sometimes more than once; residents’ rights were raised 35 times, as was safeguarding, 22 references to quality of care, and 14 around infection prevention/control.

Oliveria’s wedding and engagement rings have not yet been returned. Kerry’s father, who lives next door to her, remains without these precious mementos.

“We got absolutely nothing back," Kerry said.

She claims a member staff told her that her mother's belongings had been burned. "It felt like she had leprosy,” Kerry said.

She emailed the home about this on February 26, 2021, having been sent a bill for care, but received no answer. Kerry is now part of an informal group considering legal action following their experiences with various nursing homes. They are supported by Care Champions.

Care Champions Spokeswoman Majella Beattie said: “The families that Care Champions support from the Ennis Road Care Facility continue to be enormously traumatised by their experience of what happened in the weeks and days leading up to their loved ones' deaths.” 

The Hiqa reports “validate families’ worst fears”, she said.

Care Champions is calling for an immediate review of the sector so weaknesses can be rectified.

They were not just old people. They were and are very much-loved family members who deserve their experience to be known, and in their memory that no other person will experience the horrific lonely death that they did.

A Hiqa spokesman said: ”We continue to regulate this service (Ennis Road Care Facility) and the inspections reports are available on our website.”